


Lost Treasures

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen, Reverse Rt Baby AU, family au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-13
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-26 11:39:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 15,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/965507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin hadn’t really wanted kids- he was only 18 and had only been living in Austin for three years. Sure, he was settled and making good money but he was content to be a bachelor for the time being. Yet, here he was holding a baby. The poor bastard had been left on his doorstep in a hand-woven basket.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Geoff's Charm

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by http://someoneudontknow5.tumblr.com/ 's RT Baby Au- especially the Reverse comic!

Gavin hadn’t really wanted kids- he was only 18 and had only been living in Austin for three years. Sure, he was settled and making good money but he was content to be a bachelor for the time being. Yet, here he was holding a baby. The poor bastard had been left on his doorstep in a hand-woven basket. The brit wasn’t aware that anyone still did that. Well, outside of movies anyways. Maybe it was an American thing? The parents of this baby didn’t seem to care what it was anyway, there wasn’t anything with the child but a note that was a pleading to ‘take it away’. He didn’t understand why they didn’t just put the thing up for adoption if they didn’t want it. Some couple would have been beyond lucky to have this kid. That was, if the stupid thing would ever stop screaming. And crying. How did anyone think babies were cute when this was the majority of what they did? This was unbearable!

Sighing, he placed the kid back in the basket and regarded his phone. Who was he supposed to call? Did he call the police in a case like this? 911? Firefighters? His best friend? His neighbor? Frowning, he decided on calling the local authorities to ask about missing kids. Maybe the child was stolen and the thieves wanted to use him as a safe house until the had a way out of the city!

Okay. So maybe it was a bit far fetched, but it was an idea! One the police shot down quickly because there were no reports of missing children. Exasperated, he asked just what he was supposed to do with this mincy little prick and they just told him to hold on while they transferred the call to Child Protective Services. Yeah, because dealing with CPS at 11 o’clock at night was every British man’s wet dream. 

Frustrated, he looked into the basket and put his hand on the rim. “You’re quite the trouble, you know.” Gavin confided in the child, surprised when the kid grabbed one of his fingers. What was it going to do with his finger- oh God the kid planned to eat it. Of course, the moment he squeaked his protest was the moment CPS answered the transferred call. What a wonderful way to start a phone call. Frowning, he pulled his finger back from the kid and tried to explain the situation to the new lady over the phone. Even worse, when he tried to talk the kid giggled at him! Rude wanker! Though, if the laugh was adorable and made him sigh exasperatedly, well there was no one around to prove it.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t just ignore the child for the rest of the night. For one, the woman over the phone- who had a sickeningly sweet voice that was annoying Gavin more with each moment- had told him to check the baby for signs of abuse. Trying to balance the baby in one arm and the phone in the other couldn’t have been safe for either of them but at least it stopped her barrage of questions. Finally, an hour later, she said she was sending a worker over to look at and take the baby. Sighing in relief, he told her that he hoped the worker had an extra diaper because the child reeked.

That’s what led him to where he was. Sitting in his living room without a beverage having a stare down with an abandoned baby. Who wouldn’t shut up. How did you get a baby to stop crying? He couldn’t feed the thing, couldn’t change it, and he was pretty sure babies didn’t play Halo. Taking the child out of the basket and the protective wrapping of blankets didn’t do any good- it just made the baby cry harder. Good God- and people bragged about having these things?! Placing the kid on the floor seemed to placate it though- it just started crawling around. That he could deal wit. Until the thing crawled onto his X-box controller.Perfect. This was just perfect. Even worse when the baby discovered what it had crawled onto?: It decided the controller was a new toy! Gavin couldn’t get the bastard to let go of the thing! Not even an hour later, when he answered the door to what he assumed was the worker. He couldn’t believe he’d been beaten by a child.

She introduced herself as Ruth and invited herself in before he could respond, looking at and gathering the child without so much as a second though. Thankfully, she did have a diaper bag and he nearly cried at the small victory. He would not miss gagging on the used diaper smell. One changed baby later, he still didn’t have his controller back because the baby apparently liked that the thumb stick could rotate. It was almost cute. Almost. Ruth sat down at his table and told him point blank this was the first case she’d ever heard of like this and there were easier ways to get the state to take the baby if he didn’t want to be a father. Oh great. They thought he was pranking them. He didn’t have any kids, damnit!

At two am, they were still no closer to knowing anything about the abandoned kid and he still hadn’t fully convinced her that he really wasn’t the child’s father. Did he need to get an episode of Maury or something? Gavin, you are…NOT the father! At least she was gathering her things to leave though. He was almost a little nervous when she put the blankets back around the child.

"What will happen to it?" It was bothering him more than he’d like to admit.

"Him. The child is a boy. To be honest, he will most likely go up for adoption. If he’s not adopted within a few years then he’ll leave the age that most new parents are looking for and will either be put into foster care or group homes until he reaches 18." The way she said it made it sound like she was taking the poor bastard to jail or something. She left him to his thoughts quickly, leaving an empty basket behind.

Gavin didn’t want kids. He was just imagining that the house seemed empty without the boy crawling around. He was just imagining that the silence was maddening because there should be the giggles of a babe. Shaking his head he scoffed at himself and went to bed- it was late, after all and someone should get some sleep.

——-

The next morning he was greeted to the empty basket and the note that had come with it. He was going insane. That had to be what was going on. Especially when he called Ruth and went to meet up with her and the baby. It’s not like he wanted to see that the kid was still okay or anything, but it had taken his controller! How the social worker had not noticed the child’s left was beyond him. Carefully, he tried to pry the controller out of the child’s tiny hands. When that didn’t work, Gavin leaned closer to pull the kid’s grubby fingers off but the babe just grabbed on to his hair and giggled. Yelping he pulled away quickly, controller in his hand but a faint smile on his face. Yeah, he was 100% loony. But he couldn’t just leave this giggling kid with Ruth to go through what sounded like baby jail.

"So…how do I adopt him?" That was how one Geoff Ramsey Free went from being the nameless abandoned thing on Gavin’s door step to the best lost treasure he’d ever found, and started everything.


	2. Ryan's Staring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy was always home, just in time.

Ryan sat up all night, staring at the door. The nice girl had said his parents would be home soon after he ate dinner. Then she said they’d be home soon after he took a bath, but he’d done both a long time ago and they still weren’t back. He stared at the door for so long that he fell asleep in front of it. Ryan didn’t even know he was asleep until he was woke up and the door was open. There was a police man talking to his baby sitter in the doorway. He couldn’t hear them, but something the man said made the girl upset. Quietly, he rushed to her rescue- because making people upset was mean! Really mean! But he hadn’t been quiet enough because the girl saw him and told him to go to the living room. Just because he had to listen to her and had to go sit on the couch didn’t mean he couldn’t scare the police man with his glare!

He must have looked extra creepy because after the man looked at him he left. Ryan’s baby sitter kneeled down in front of him and told him that a bad thing had happened and his God father was on the way over. He asked when his parents were coming back so they could see his Godfather too, but she just shook her head and said ‘soon’. He waited a long time again and this time it was Ray at the door! He liked it when Ray was around- but he still wanted his parents. So he stayed still, stared at the door, and waited some more while Ray and the girl talked. ‘Soon’ had to be over and his parents would walk through that door any minute!! Ryan had to stop staring when his God father kneeled in front of him and blocked out the view.

"Hey, Ryan. Look…you like hanging out with me, yeah?" His godfather sure was asking silly questions. He nodded, of course he loved hanging out with Ray! "Well how would you like to hang out with me all the time?" Ryan smiled brightly- that sounded like it would be a lot of fun! But..

"What about Ma and Pop?" He asked quietly. When his god father couldn’t answer his shoulders sagged and he frowned. "They aren’t coming back soon, are they?" The baby sitter was a liar! He was glad he hadn’t saved her from the mean police man, she deserved to be upset. Lying was bad. "I don’t want to be by that girl anymore. She lied to me." Ray shook his head and sighed.

"I know buddy, she didn’t mean to. But you’re going to come live with me okay?" He started to nod but stopped himself. There was still a very important question he needed to ask!

"Can Edgar come too? I don’t want to leave him with her either!" His godfather laughed but nodded.

"Sure, buddy."

———————————-

Ryan sat up all night, staring at the door. He had Edgar in his lap and the stuffed cow was giving him the best company while he waited. The new baby sitter was a weird boy but Ryan didn’t mind. The boy never told him that anyone was going to be coming ‘soon’- only that they’d be back as quickly as possible because no one could want to be separated from such a well behaved kid. It made him puff up in pride- he liked the new baby sitter. He sat up until it was really late and someone opened the door! He rushed and hugged the leg of the person really happy- after all, this was who he was waiting for! “Poppy!” He nearly dropped Edgar as Ray picked him up, but his new dad was quick to catch the cow and hand him back. Ray was never back soon. He was always back just in time.


	3. Jack's Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning- implied child bullying (nothing intense or specifically stated)

When Jack was two, his last name was Pattillo and he loved juice. He didn’t really have toys but that was okay because he had his own little chair he’d sit in, watching his Mom do house work and his Dad talk to her in hushed voices. The chair was his own little space in the house- he doesn’t remember being anywhere else. Nap times, bed times, story times, all times happened in the chair by the window.

When Jack was three, his last name was Pattillo and he loved building blocks. When they fell over, you could just pick them back up and they’d be fine. You couldn’t do that with Mom or Dad or Jack. If they fell, it’d hurt and sometimes no one was there to pick them up. Mom seemed to fall a lot, so Jack said he’d be there to pick her up just like he always picked up his blocks. His Mom cried and smiled and he couldn’t tell if she was happy.

When Jack was four, his last name was Pattillo and he loved butterflies. They could fly where ever they wanted and be with who they wanted. He wanted to be a butterfly because then he could fly and be with his Mom and Dad again. Plus, butterflies were pretty. He’d like to be pretty, then none of the other kids could make fun of him again. Not that he cared what they said- they weren’t his family.

When Jack was five, his last name hardly mattered because no one cared what it was and he loved to play zombie. He was the biggest, nastiest zombie of them all who had to eat the most brains or he’d die! The other kids got scared and wouldn’t play after he bit one and he got in trouble for it. The care takers didn’t care that the game said he had to bite them- they even said they didn’t care if he’d die he wasn’t allowed to bite the others. He hated the caretakers.

When Jack was six, his last name was Pattillo and his ‘case worker’ just wouldn’t say it right. He didn’t need a case worker, he just needed to go back to class. He liked his class- none of the other children from the home were in it so he had it all to himself. Plus, they had building blocks and Kinex. He loved building with those! But the case worker wouldn’t leave him alone and kept asking him questions about how he was going to have a new Mom and Dad soon. Jack had been told that before and didn’t believe it for one second. He always got returned to the home.

When Jack was seven, his last name wasn’t Pattillo and he loved his new Mommy and Daddy. They hadn’t returned him to the home and it’d been almost a year! They put him in a new school where he made friends with a creepy boy named Ryan and a funny boy named Geoff. Geoff taught him all sorts of words- his favourite was Goddamnit- and Ryan would scare the teacher with him because they sounded alike. Once they’d convinced her that they were twins!

When Jack was seven, he was happy to be a Jones kid- especially when they let him read and play whatever. (Even Zombie!)


	4. First Words

Geoff’s first word wasn’t what Gavin wanted it to be. He would have loved to hear “Dad”, expected it to be “Nobs”, but never guessed it’d be “Mum”. His first word and already he was making fun of his dad. The brit blamed Michael and Ray, since they’d taken to calling him and asking how life as a teenage mom was going. Even worse, his first day in preschool Geoff had told his entire class that he had the best Mum in the entire world the little prick.

Ryan’s first word was “Hand”. He’d learned it first because it was what his Ma had said to him most. “Hand, Ryan.” was one of the few things he’d remember vividly in her voice. Ray didn’t know that and Ryan wouldn’t tell him though- he didn’t want Ray to start saying it and make Ryan forget his Ma’s voice. Besides, his new Poppy never had to ask for his hand- they always held hands whenever they went anywhere. It helped him feel like maybe Poppy wouldn’t disappear. Just maybe.

Jack’s first word had been “Okay”. It’s all he could say for the longest time. He’d had to use it all the time when he was still a Pattillo. He’d ask his Mom if she was Okay all the time. He’d ask if it was Okay if he’d helped her up. He’d ask if it was Okay for him to sit anywhere that wasn’t his chair. He’d have to ask if it was Okay to do almost anything. He asked his new Mommy and Daddy “Okay?” almost everyday until his Daddy got really angry and told him everything would always be okay for him to do as long as he stopped asking if it was fucking okay. Jack never used that word again- he didn’t want his Daddy to get upset again and send him back to the home.


	5. Ray's Pet Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Edgars rule the Narvaez household

Ray couldn’t afford a pet. He couldn’t pay the deposit that was needed for even a small dog, nor could he pay for the pet food that seemed to raise higher in price every day. Nor could he take care of it. No time to clean a cage, litter box, tank, or take anything on a walk. Not if he wanted to spend any quality time with Ryan.

Though, he couldn’t help but feel terrible each time Ryan told him a story about Geoff’s new cat. It was clear his boy was jealous but adored the thing- even though it had scratched him. Ray couldn’t get him a pet, so he’d listen to each story as it broke his heart when Ryan spoke so fondly of the animal. Even worse, his young charge would hold tighter to his stuffed cow. Once Ray had even caught him talking to it, as if it were a pet.

After the third tale of Ryan’s adoration for the cat, Ray found himself in a pet shop after work. He wasn’t quite sure how it happened and he knew he didn’t have time to spend here. His kid got quiet, dejected, and frightened when he wasn’t home on time. Staring at the adoptable cats and dogs wasn’t going to do him any good either- so as quickly as he found himself in the pet shop he was out of it and looking at a toy shop across the street. Ray was already going to be late home, a few more minutes to stop in the shop wouldn’t hurt.

Stopping in the shop almost seemed to be a waste of time until a set of brightly coloured sheep caught his eye. Maybe he couldn’t bring home a new pet for Ryan, but he could bring home another stuffed animal. Which is why he was walking home with a big, blue sheep in his arms. Because he was a guilty father who wanted his son to smile just as much as home as he did at a friend’s.

Really, Ray should have seen that this was going to become a habit the moment he got home and Ryan’s eyes lit up at the new toy. He placed the toy on the ground next to his stuffed cow and stared at them for two minutes before nodding his head. Taking both the toys, Ryan raced around to show the sheep- which he had apparently named Edgar II - around the house. So, of course, seeing the excitement and the smile on his son’s face should have warned him that this was not going to be a one time thing.

Yet, he was still surprised when he ended up at the same toy store a week later to buy a stuffed pig. And a week after that when a little chicken- though Ryan seemed to hate the chicken with a passion. Even worse was Ryan’s habit that went with Ray’s new habit; he named every last animal Edgar. Ray had come home with a wolf this week and knelt down to hand it to Ryan.

"So, what are you gonna name it, buddy?" He had asked, trying to sound like he didn’t already know the answer.

"Edgar, Poppy." Ryan had taken the wolf and was holding it up to his eyes like he was having a staring contest with the thing, "Always Edgar."

Good god this boy had the skills to be the star of a psychological horror movie. Or maybe a game. Either way, naming a stuffed animal Edgar shouldn’t have sounded foreboding. Especially not from a 6 year old’s mouth. “Okay, little dude. Edgar it is.”

Ray can’t afford a pet. He can’t spoil Ryan like Geoff and Jack get spoiled. He can bring him a new stuffed friend every week though, and when that’s enough to make Ryan run around the house smiling he doesn’t feel like they need any pets. They’ve already got them in the wild pack of Edgars that rule the house.


	6. Grif's Adventures

Geoff loved playing with his Dad’s X-box. According to his Dad- he’d loved the thing before he could even walk. His favourite games to play were the ones were he could mess with the other people or kill people. He loved playing Minecraft with Dad, but he’d get annoyed every time there was a new way for his house to be mysteriously destroyed. He also loved the Mario game. Mostly because he always got to play with the WiiU controller and make random blocks appear. He loved Grand Theft Auto because his two best friends and their dads would play too and they’d all laugh. He loved hearing them laugh.

Halo was his favourite game though. Geoff could play with anyone all over the world and he got to talk to them as they died at his hand! Dad didn’t like him talking to people because of all the foul language they used, but let him because he’d already learned most of the words from Uncle Mikey. When he got to choose what his dude looked like, it was always orange armor. Orange was the best colour after all.

Once, Dad had asked him to name the dude in the orange armor. His answer came quickly because the man was obviously named Grif. Grif was the best dude in all of the Halo games! Except for Master Chief. No one beat Master Chief, it wasn’t possible. The next day his dad came home with an action figure of Grif and Geoff wouldn’t let go of it. Or his Dad’s leg for that matter.

The only thing weird about Grif is that Geoff would find him in places all over the house he hadn’t put him. He’d show up in the dryer, in the cat’s food bowl, in the freezer, on Dad’s pillow, and Grif must love Oreos because he always ended up in the pack! Sometimes Grif would travel and he’d go home with Jack or Ryan. Jack always returned Grif laughing and saying that Grif must like him better, but he was stupid. Ryan always looked really sad when he returned the orange figure.

After a while, Geoff made a new friend because Grif ended up in their back pack. They had a Halo figure too! The figure was even on the right team. So it only made sense to Geoff that Grif must have seen the figure as his best friend because he never would have left him at school otherwise. And since their figures were best friends, the figures owners became best friends too. That way their reds wouldn’t get lonely.


	7. Michael's Animal Rescue

Michael was glad he had Jack. He could have dealt with Geoff as his kid. He loved spoiling that kid and Geoff loved to accidentally learn new words from him that would send Gavin into a fit when said from the mouth of his six year old. Geoff was a good kid, but he also was good for the brit- giving him a family that they both needed.

Jack as his kid was great. The kid was smart and inventive. He loved to build houses and chase butterflies in the garden. Once, when Michael hadn’t had time to shave in a week, Jack stared at him. When he explained what a beard was, the boy told him he was going to grow the best beard ever. It was funny and it was completely worth having to wash marker off his face when he was trying to draw on stubble. Jack made Lindsay smile. The only thing that worried Michael was that his kid would freak if she got so much of a scratch. He’d rush to her side, ask if she was okay, tell her he’d hug her to keep her up, and then flinch if Michael got close. Jack was slowly getting used to not having to flinch or hide from him if Lindsay got hurt though.

Ryan was the creepiest kid he had ever met. How Ray dealt with him, he didn’t know. There was clearly something wrong with that kid. Something really wrong. For one, all he seemed to do half the time was stare. Wouldn’t say a word just stare straight into your soul and tear you apart from the inside. When he wasn’t staring, he was hugging a stuffed animal that he had pulled from God knows where. What was worse was knowing where he pulled his stuffed cow from.

The little shit had somehow managed to break the floor boards enough to put his toy down there. To stay. Apparently, he’d done this when Gavin was over with Geoff, but no one knows when or how he did it even though they were in the same room the entire time. Finally, after about the fifth time of looking down into some creepily innocent cow eyes, Michael knew what he had to do.

He was going to get Edgar out of there, and let the cow free.

So, when everyone was over at Ray’s and playing Minecraft together, he made his move. Slipping away from them was easy, trying to pull the stupid stuffed cow out from the floor hurt his hands, and the damned thing kept falling back into the hole. Trying his best not to give himself away, he was whispering to it to run because it’s owner was psycho and now Edgar could get away! About 4 minutes later, Edgar had been moved outside and hidden where Ryan was not allowed to go, and the hole in the floor board had been fixed. Michael was pleased with his work and went back to playing Minecraft with everyone else for another good hour or so.

Everything was fine and seemed to be going Michael’s way- until he and Jack were getting their bags. That was when he saw it. The hole was there again. And there was another cow in it. He glanced out the window but the real Edgar was still outside, high on a tree branch away from the house. The ginger fell to his knees and Ryan came over, squatting next to him and smiling.

"How?! I fixed the hole in the floor over an hour ago!!! And that’s not even Edgar! Where the fuck did you get another god damned stuffed animal??" Michael twitched, raging at all of the work he’d done being useless. Ryan, however, just stared up at Michael and shook his head.

"That’s Edgar." The kid pointed at the cow in the hole now.

"That’s not Edgar! You didn’t get Edgar back!" Ryan looked frustrated and shook his head.

"You don’t understand. Edgar is the one in the hole." He nodded and smiled, still staring up at his uncle. Michael kind of lost it and turned to Gavin who was holding Jack and making him laugh. He stood up and raced over between the brit and Ray, who was holding Geoff. Still feeling the creep’s eyes on him, he lifted Gavin’s shirt and hid his head by the man’s side. Which apparently shocked the other.

"What are you doing?!" Gavin had a yell that almost reached a screech. How the fuck did he do that anyways?

"Hiding from Ray’s psycho baby!" Michael was never going to come over here again, holy hell. That kid was fucking insane. Insane! How Jack seemed to like him, he’d never know.


	8. Geoff's Achievement Hunters

Geoff loved getting praised. When ever he did something, his Dad would always tell him how much of an achievement it was and give him a treat. He loved getting achievement treats, they tasted the best. It made him want to get achievements all day! Every day! The treats were good and Dad would be proud every time. It gave him an idea, but he was going to need help.

Thus, when Jack slept over he brought up the idea with him. He wanted his best friend to get achievements with him. Then Jack’d get treats and his Daddy would be proud too- and Geoff knew that Jack loved to make his Daddy proud. The boy would be really sad when he couldn’t. It was easy to get Jack to agree, he knew it was a good idea.

Getting Ryan to agree was harder. His Pop always gave him a new stuffed animal almost every week! How was Geoff supposed to convince him that he was missing out on the best treats when all he cared about was how many Edgars he had? It took a while, but eventually Geoff convinced him that Achievements meant that his Pop would love him more than ever. It was a little bit of foul play on his part, but he was getting desperate- he didn’t feel right getting all the achievements by himself.

The older boys were even harder to convince. His best friend said he didn’t care and achievements were lame! Geoff yelled at him and told him that Grif liked achievements and just wanted to share with his best buddy too. The other two wouldn’t listen until Geoff had convinced him first and it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He didn’t even get an achievement for it either!

The girls were easier to convince, but they wouldn’t keep trying to get achievements with him. They got bored and wanted to do other things- like art with their mommy. Or play with their dog. Geoff was glad he had a cat, they never got in the way of an achievement because they needed to go for a walk.

His group was small, but his idea worked and he had other people to get treats with him. He tried to come up for a cool name for them but couldn’t figure one out for what felt like a long time. Finally, he gave up and just named them something stupid. When his Dad asked what the group was doing, Geoff smiled proudly.

"We’re Achievement Hunters- we’re hunting for achievements we can get to make our Dads proud!"


	9. Griffon's Art Gift

Griffon was an artistic child, but not in the calm sense of the word. It wasn’t that she didn’t like drawing or painting- she loved to do both but they weren’t destroying something to leave something new behind. It gave her a great sense of accomplishment and left her feeling satisfied with her work every time. Her last foster parent before Ms. Crawford taught her how to whittle.

Whittling was her current favourite artform. Drawing the knife across the wood was calming. Though, with her being so young she wasn’t supposed to touch any knife that wasn’t a butterknife in Ms. Crawford’s house. It made it hard for her to indulge in this habit. So she drew more, played on the computer more, and waited until she had time alone running around in the backyard to whittle. It was her little secret.

Or it was until she nearly cut her finger off. She watched it bleed for a while, until she noticed something that was too white to be skin. Oh. That would explain why it hurt so much. Pulling her shirt around her finger, she ran back inside to find her foster parent. Ms. Crawford wasn’t very pleased with her. Griffon tried not to let it bother her, it just meant she’d have a new foster parent again soon. Another name for the list. It was nice while it lasted though. Ms. Crawford was a great parental figure. The lady was kind, artistic, and open-minded. She always had great advice too.

As they waited for the doctor to see them in the pediatrics ward of the hospital, Griffon wondered where she’d be placed next. Maybe it’d be with some guy who insisted she call him Dad. Maybe they’d have a brother or sister for her. Probably not. Foster homes rarely ever took more than one child. She’d probably just end up back in the group home for a while, sharing a room with a kid who either didn’t care or cried every night.

After they saw the doctor and she had stitches put in, Ms. Crawford had to make a private call so she was left alone with a random nurse for a few minutes. The nurse kept asking her questions about how the “accident” happened, about if she was happy with her “guardian”, and about if she felt safe at home. Griffon was getting more and more irritated, she loved living with Ms. Crawford and the lady was a perfect guardian the nurse had no right to look at her that way just because she had a nose ring! She loved that nose ring.

When her foster parent returned, it was with her case worker. The case worker looked tense and upset, and Griffon almost felt like crying. That look always meant it was time to move again. Always! She’d like this home. Maybe they’d at least let her take her art this time. The case worker never let her do that, but it was nice to imagine. She didn’t argue when she had to spend the night at the group home, she didn’t argue when she wasn’t allowed to bring anything, and she didn’t argue when Ms. Crawford gave her a hug- promising to see her again soon. She didn’t argue even if it was all a bunch of crap.

She did argue when they gave her the choice of going into the adoption process. Who would want to adopt her? She had thirteen foster homes behind her already. She was fine with the group home for another while-it mean she still got to go to the same school. Still got to see all her friends. Who she’d lose soon because they’d make her move.

Griffon didn’t want to move. So she argued. She argued and fought until they told her that her school wouldn’t change. That she’d never have to see a group home again. Never have another foster home either. Just one home. It sounded like a dream. A dream too good to be true. But then Ms. Crawford was there to sign paper work and she felt sad again. The lady would be a great actual parent some day. As long as her kid wasn’t as bad as Griffon was.

The one thing Griffon didn’t expect was her old foster parent adopting her. She didn’t expect to go back to the house that had all of her art work and felt like a home. That may be why she cried when she found out. It may be why after living with Ms. Crawford for a year and nearly having to leave again, she hugged her as tightly as her little hands could hold. Could be why that- for the first time since she was taken into CPS custody- she called someone Mom.

Her destructive art brought her a home, a Mom, and a new life. She couldn’t wait until she was old enough to use a chainsaw on something. Who knows what that’d bring her.


	10. Gavin's "Kid"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Punny.

Gavin’s work was a heavy load. Often he’d find himself away from home and unable to make it back in time to spend time with Geoff. They’d play Minecraft together and Skype until he fell asleep, but the brit wasn’t blind. He could see that his boy was getting lonely. The baby sitter wasn’t there to be a hired friend and didn’t act like it- so all Geoff had was his little Grif doll when Gavin was away. He was making his kid sad, but he couldn’t just abandon his work. It broke his heart to see the light in those eyes dull and his laugh that could cure cancer die out so quickly each night. There had to be something he could do.

He looked online, trying to find out what to do when a kid was lonely. Each article he came across simply told him that a child needs more attention than anyone really knows and basically broke down step by step how much of a terrible father he was. Great reading. Finally, one said that when a kid felt lonely the solution is to get another kid. That way, the kids could spend time together grazing in the fields. Gavin wasn’t sure why the kids would be eating grass, but if it made Geoff happy and didn’t kill him he’s sure it’d be fine. Of course, if the man had noticed he was reading about goats and not humans that would have made more sense.

Going through the adoption paperwork again wasn’t something he was looking forward to, but at least the case worker was nice enough to let him fill it out at home with her supervision and not in the office. He hated that office- felt stuffy and like dreams died there. Doing the paperwork at home with her help was quick, easy, and painless.

Or it should’ve been. If a 6 year old Geoff hadn’t walked straight up to them and told them that, “I hope the new kid likes video games, it’d suck dicks if they fucking didn’t”. Gavin stared down appalled and spluttered over his words as the case worker simply stared in shock. Oh god, the case worker was not going to let him have another child. They were going to take Geoff away and put him in some Christian orphanage where they were convinced that video games were sin and Gavin would never be able to see him again and bloody hell that was terrifying. After the shock died down, and Geoff had been scolded, the case worker simply laughed it off. Apparently, she’d heard worse but Geoff looked like such a nice kid she wasn’t expecting it.

Michael had to deal with an hour-long call from his best friend complaining and near-panicking about a habit Geoff had clearly picked up from him nearly costing him everything.

It was weird to think what everything meant to him now. Years ago it’d be his home in England, his parents, Dan…But now? Geoff meant the world. Which was why there was going to be a new little boy in both of their lives. He’d met the boy once or twice, relieved to know his humour would work fine with the family. And that he liked video games. That almost seemed to be a necessity in the group they’d built. The only weird thing was, this kid would sit down for hours at a time and just write into a small notebook. Everyone has their quirks, he supposed.

The day it became official, Gavin took Geoff with him to get something to welcome his brother home. Geoff chose out a notebook that had hundreds of pages in it, telling his Dad that his brother must always be running out of paper. Gavin chose another Halo figure- something to match Geoff’s and make it feel like he belonged. Though, despite the kid’s insistence that he and his new brother just had to be on the same team, this one was blue.

They welcomed Burnie Free home with these small gifts and he seemed to love them. Especially Geoff’s- apparently he’d forgotten his own notebook when he left for his new home. Gavin only smiled and watched his kids bond. The light in Geoff’s eyes shone brighter than ever and his laughter was returned.

So maybe it was a good thing he followed advice meant for lonely goats. Even if he would never live it down once Ray and Michael found out.


	11. Gus' Knowledge

By the time Gus Sorola was 5, he knew which alleyways in Austin were dangerous. He knew which had drug dealers, which had homeless gatherings, and which had nothing more than stray cats. He knew where he could get water to clean up in without raising stupid questions from adults. He knew where the school he was supposed to be going was. He knew that his life would probably be spent on the streets. (Maybe he’d get lucky and it’d only be in a gang when he was a little older.)

He knew that a CPS van does not just drive slowly by for no reason.

They’re always quick to get where they need to be. The vans never slowed down unless it was an emergency. Which meant that this van was probably looking for somebody. Maybe a parent that had run? No, they’d send the police for that. Gus tried to hide himself better around the corner- to stay out of sight until the van passed- but he couldn’t stay there for long or the stray cats would bother him. He couldn’t leave either- the van was parked and there was some man getting out of it. Shit. The man was headed straight for him.

With one last glance at the van, Gus took off running. This turned into a back road that led right to the local preschool. If he could just get there it’d be fine. It had to be fine. Except it wasn’t because he tripped on his own shoe laces. And the man caught up. He said something Gus couldn’t hear before picking him up. The man brought him back to the van and buckled him into some car seat before getting in the driver’s seat and taking them away.

By the time Gus was 6, he knew all the hiding spots in school. He knew where he could go that the teacher wouldn’t follow. He knew which spots were dangerous to hide in because there was electricity in them. He knew which spots to avoid because other kids used them. He’d hide away during the parts of class he didn’t like. He’d hide away when he got in trouble. He’d hide away when school was over because he’d rather stay in school than ever go back to the foster parent’s house. The foster parent was an idiot.

Once, he hid for so long he ended up locked inside the school building. All the doors were locked or chained and he couldn’t leave. The only room he could get to was the bathroom- and that was only because the lock had been broken since the beginning of the school year. No one care about a bathroom lock enough to fix it. When the principal finally came in the morning and found him curled up and asleep underneath his desk, he never had to go back to that foster home again.

By the time Gus was 7, he had lived in four potential homes. He had gone to five different elementary schools, and lost six friends. He was sick of moving and tired of having to meet new people and be nice to them. At least with the newest foster parents they’d let him watch horror movies or watch them play video games. He wasn’t allowed to play himself- he wasn’t allowed to touch any of the electronics because they’d break. (He still did when they were asleep, but he made sure never to get caught.)

When they noticed his interest in Halo, they came home one day with a new toy for him. A dude in maroon spartan armor. The foster ‘Dad’ said the figure looked like a dick so Gus named him Richard. A few days later he decided that name was lame and re-named him Simmons. Simmons was a good enough name. A week later he was in the process of getting new foster parents again. They had found out he’d touched their electronics. This time, he didn’t end up with new foster parents though.

By the time Gus was 8, he had a Mom, a Dad, a little brother, and a best friend at school. His named got changed just like Simmons’ had too- only he got to keep Gus. (His Dad promised they’d never change his first name, only his last.) He didn’t know where the hiding places in school were, and he didn’t care. He didn’t know which alleyways held nothing more than stray cats. He didn’t have to worry about having to move. He was adopted. That meant he would never have to move- and if he did it’d be with an entire family. An entire family that didn’t plan on giving him back to the state’s system.

At 8 years old, Gus Jones thanks the “motherfucking Gods”, as his Dad says, that his life didn’t stay on the street.


	12. Ray's Moderating

Michael and Gavin loved to make bets with each other on the stupidest things. Could Michael drink an entire thing of barbeque sauce? Could Gavin go white river rafting without falling into the water? The stupidest bet they had to date, was whose kids were creepier. Gavin was 100% sure that between Burnie, who had a weird understanding of the world and would constantly ask the tough questions (Where do people go when they die? Why are we here? Why the fuck is it called a warthog???), and Geoff- who ruled over everyone with an iron fist for he was the king of all head and lord forbid you crossed him were definitely creepier than Michael’s kids.

The Jersey boy called bullshit because he was sure his kids were creepier. He had Jack, who would be silent as a mouse before looking up and cursing “Goddamnit” to whoever passed his way. They didn’t even have to do anything. Sure, Jack wasn’t the creepiest but Gus made up for that. He boiled Gasoline at home, seemed to have a silent understanding of mutual avoidance with both the drug dealers and the homeless. Though, Michael couldn’t say it wasn’t both creepy and cool as fuck when his kid knew how to get Kevin to leave him alone.

Naturally, the two of them couldn’t come to an agreement and had to ask Ray. Good-guy Ray, always willing to solve their bet. Though, it kind of dissolved when they were over there. Ryan was staring at them a foot over Edgar’s hole with Edgar II in his arms and a silent judgement. Then Ray introduced them both to his new kid and all was lost. Joel and Ryan Narvaez were both officially the creepiest children of the group.

Ray got a couple hundred dollars richer that day, but he still doesn’t understand why and he never did get to solve their bet for them.


	13. Ryan's Family (1/3)

Ryan loved having Ray as his Poppy. He knew he was loved and he was always home on time. His Poppy never lied to him, never sugar coated anything, just told him the truth. They could talk freely to one another, and they played together on the weekends. Ryan always felt safe and at home with Poppy.

Then, he got a new older brother. Poppy brought home a skinny kid who was shorter than he was and said his name was Joel. Joel was quiet like Ryan when he talked, and knew a lot about money. Ryan loved to sit down and ask his older brother questions about the world because Joel always had an answer that was extremely serious. He could ask the serious questions that he couldn’t ask Poppy- Poppy always got this sad look on his face. Once, Ryan asked a question and wished he never did.

"Joel, you know how pretty much everyone lies? Why do they do that?" He’d asked, Edgar I out of the floor and in his hands for once. He needed all the courage he could gather to ask this question and having the first Edgar there was almost like having Poppy’s spirit with him and it made him feel safe.

His brother had looked really sad and pulled Ryan’s hands into his. “People lie for lots of different reasons. Sometimes people lie because they want to hurt others… Sometimes it’s because they want to protect them. Like how Mr. Free says he bought that basket that’s by his bed. Or how Mr. Jones tells Jack and Gus that Santa’s coming. Or even like how Mr. Narvaez doesn’t correct you when you call him Poppy… He’s not really your father, but he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings by telling you that. So he lies and answers when you call him that- because he wants you to be happy and believe you can have a new family.”

"…Can’t you have a new family?"

"Everybody only gets one family, it wouldn’t be fair otherwise." Joel had let Ryan’s hands go and went to his room, still looking sad. Ryan sat in shock, staring down at Edgar. Poppy had lied to him. Poppy- no. Ray. Ray hadn’t told him the truth. He’d said that they’d be family now. That they’d always have each other as new family! New family wasn’t possible.

Every one only gets one family, and Ryan had already had his. Ray couldn’t be his new father. Joel couldn’t be his brother. He cried in the hallway until the liar came home, picked him up, and asked him what was wrong. He said that he was tired and just wanted to sleep so Ray put him to bed.

He couldn’t stand liars. Ray was a liar. He couldn’t stand to live with Ray anymore. So while the fake family slept, he gathered all his Edgars together. Lined up in a row, there were 9 Edgars all together that would come with him. Edgar I was with him with his first family- so all the Edgars were part of the only family he got.

"We’re going to go live on our own, because we’re family and you can’t lie to me. You will never lie to me." He told each Edgar and put them in a backpack. Edgar V-the wolf-’s head stuck out when he zipped it up but he didn’t care. It just meant all his animals would have air to breathe. Quietly, he crept out of his room and made sure that Ray was still sleeping. He checked on Joel too, and left him Edgar III- the Chicken. Joel hadn’t had a family before Ray brought him home, so he had to stay there. It was his family- not Ryan’s. Not anymore. He only left Edgar III there so Joel wouldn’t get lonely because he remembered how lonely it was until Joel became his brother.

Fake brother.

It didn’t matter now. Putting on his shoes and grabbing a juice box from the fridge, he decided there was one last thing he had to do. They may not be his family, but he would miss them both and wanted to say goodbye. Ryan grabbed a sticky note and scribbled down a message to say all he had left to say to Ray and Joel, then stuck it to the bottom of Edgar’s hole. That way they wouldn’t see it and get heart hurt right away. Joel had told him a long time ago that people get really hurt when someone says goodbye.

Satisfied with his work, he left the little place he’d come to know as home. It was time to go live without them and stop intruding on their family. Ray shouldn’t have to take care of someone who wasn’t his family. Ryan walked for what felt like ages until he was in a park he didn’t recognize. The park was green and even had a little pond area where ducks resided. Ryan knew that people needed water to survive, so he went to the pond. There were a couple trees around it but one caught his attention. It’s branches grew down and looked thick enough to hide him. The tree was his best option and he crawled into it’s protection.

When he found a spot that wasn’t damp from the pond’s bank, he put down his backpack and unzipped it to pull out the Edgars. Once they were all out and in a pile, he laid atop them with Edgar I in his arms and tried not to cry again. This was his new home with the only family that was really his. He could sleep here and he’d adventure out to find out where his school was from here. School was important and he couldn’t miss it after all. The animals would protect him and he’d be fine. He didn’t need anyone else.

Especially not a Poppy who lied.

Sleep did not come easily. There were too many sounds that were frightening and the tree would cast vague shadows of anything that passed by. Even worse, it had begun to rain and it was a thunderstorm. Yet, somehow, Ryan did eventually give into exhaustion.

Anyone who would have lifted the willow’s branches would have come across a young boy, shivering from the cold, covered in mud, curled up upon a plethora of stuffed animals and using a backpack for a blanket. But no one looked, no one saw, and the next morning he was gone to try and find his school. Ryan got lots of funny looks for being so dirty but he didn’t care. Edgar wouldn’t judge him for being covered in mud.

——-

Joel woke up the next day to an eerie peace. When he checked the time, it was 10 a.m. Frowning, he looked towards his still closed door. His little brother usually would have woken him up for breakfast with a new question by now. He liked starting the day that way, being able to answer Ryan’s questions made him feel like he had a place in their family.

Maybe the little one was sick?

He started to get out of bed and a chicken fell to the floor. Joel stared at it, baffled. Wasn’t that an Edgar? Ryan never left his Edgars anywhere that wasn’t a hole in the floor. Gently, he picked up the animal and rushed to his door. Maybe Ryan had come to him with a nightmare and left the chicken behind when he couldn’t wake Joel up? He knew he had to give Edgar back, his little brother loved all his Edgars. He crept to Ryan’s room only to find the door wide open and the room itself empty.

He checked the bathroom next, but it was also empty. So was the living room, the kitchen, the hallway…The only room not empty was Ray’s, but Ryan wasn’t there either. Panicking, he chased over and jumped onto the man’s bed- shaking his shoulder shortly afterwards.

"Mr. Narvaez! Mr. Narvaez!!!!!" Joel tried his best to be loud without shouting but it was hard and he was worried. Slowly, Ray came to and stared at the kid.

"Joel? What’s wrong buddy?" He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, yawning.

"I can’t find Ryan." Joel was on the verge of tears- his brother was gone.


	14. Ryan's Family (2/3)

The first thing Ray did after getting both him and Joel dressed was check the entire backyard. When he couldn’t find Ryan there, he took Joel with him and began the search down the street. He still didn’t see his boy by the time he reached the end of their neighborhood, so he turned around to check the other side. Ryan was only a seven year old kid, he couldn’t have gotten far. He was asking all his neighbors-even the ones he’d never talked to before- if they’d seen his kid but no one had. Both sides of the area where Ryan-free. Pushing past the disappointment, he tried looking in their near-by park, and even down some connecting streets.

By about the fifth neighborhood with no sign of Ryan and a worried but hungry Joel, Ray had begun to panic. What if his little mad man had been kidnapped? Should he involve the police or was he supposed to wait three days like a missing persons report? Should he wait at home in case Ryan came back? Running his fingers through his hair he quickly grabbed out his cell and called Michael. While Ray may be no good at being a father, Michael usually knew what to do. And if he didn’t…

Well Michael would at least be able to take care of Joel while Ray dealt with the police.

—————

Ryan found that people liked to feed lost children. They offered him snacks, water, juice, soda, and even a ride home. They offered to take him to the police, to school, to a church, to where ever he would feel safe. He just turned them down and kept walking. He had to find his school. He had to go to school and learn new things so when he grew up he could become an important person. An important person who helps his community and never lies.

It seemed like the further he walked the less certain he was about where his school might be. The only thing he’d come across that was familiar was the library- it wasn’t his library though. It was another library. He knew it because Uncle Gavin lived next to the library.

Not that he wanted to find Gavin. The brit wasn’t his uncle anymore after all. He had lied too.

Though, Ryan would admit he wanted to find Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones had never lied to him about being his family. Never told him he was his uncle, or his father. The only lies he ever told were about Santa, but everybody tells lies about Santa so Ryan can forgive him for that.

But Ryan couldn’t find Michael’s house. He was lost and didn’t even know where the park he had spent the night in was anymore. The sun was going down and it was getting hard to see. He had to find some place to sleep tonight too. As much as he wished he could just go home, he wouldn’t live among liars…Besides, he didn’t even know where home was. Maybe he was in another state- he had walked for a long, long time!

Shivering, he kept walking trying to look for somewhere to hide. He was already soaked from the rain last night and he didn’t want to get wet again from tonight’s rain. He continued forth until a piercing wind began to howl against his cheeks. Ryan hadn’t grabbed his jacket, and Edgar I pressed tightly to his chest did nothing to ward off the chill. He was so focused on trying to fight against it and move forward that he didn’t notice a car pull up. He didn’t even realize he was no longer walking alone until he was wrapped in a warm jacket and picked up.

Struggling against the hold only got him cursed at, and he didn’t have the energy to keep going. Sneezing, he cuddled closer to his captor’s chest, falling asleep before he could even check he was safe.

——-

Michael was not happy. In his arms was the run away child who caused so much trouble, and was clearly sick. This stupid little fucking idiot couldn’t have even grabbed a jacket? Sighing he placed the sleeping Ryan in a car seat and took out his cell. With the kid found at least Ray, Gavin and him could stop tearing apart the city.

"Hey I found the asshole. Yeah he was just walking in the fucking wind without a jacket and only his backpack on. Want me to bring him home? Oh…Yeah. I’ll bring him to my house and get him warmed up. Looks like he’s sick."

Slamming his phone shut was not loud enough to rouse Ryan. Neither was the car starting and taking off. Or the car stopping. Nothing seemed to wake this kid up. Muttering to himself about having to take care of another damned child, he carried Ryan inside and laid him down on the couch. Jack rushed to his friend’s side with his blanket and pillow and made sure his friend was comfortable. It was the first thing he’d done ever without asking Michael if it was alright for him to do. Jack seemed to catch himself afterwards and looked up at the ginger to apologize, but Michael just waved it away telling him how much of a good friend he was.

Jack glowed under his praise and sat by the couch, staring at Ryan. When he’d been told Ryan was missing, he was terrified. The thought of never seeing Ryan again, never scaring their teacher together again, never laughing together again, never having to try to figure out what Edgar was doing… He didn’t like it. He wanted his friend to wake up and be okay. He wanted his friend to be safe. So he waited, sitting next to the couch silently staring to make sure Ryan was still warm and breathing. Eventually, when Gavin came over with Geoff and Burnie, Geoff joined Jack in watching over Ryan. When Jack quietly admitted he was scared, Geoff said he was being stupid but still held his hand anyways as they waited for their mad king friend to wake up.


	15. Ryan's Family (3/3)

When Ryan woke up, everything looked hazy and his head hurt. There was a tickle in his throat and he couldn’t breathe right through his nose. Despite all this, he felt safe. He was warm and there was somebody holding his hands. He shook his head and groaned, trying to sit up and blink the sleep away. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes was out of the question- he didn’t want to let go of the hands holding his.

A few minutes later with a new clarity in sight, he found himself staring at Geoff and Jack. He realized he wasn’t lost anymore. He was safe in his friend’s hands. Quietly, he checked around but he didn’t see anyone else but these two. It looked like he was in Michael’s house but he couldn’t remember how he got there. Sliding the blanket off him made him cold, but he couldn’t lay down anymore. His movements roused his friends and a moment later he found himself in the arms of a crying Jack.

"I thought you were gone forever." Was barely heard as the mud he’d been carrying from sleeping under the tree rubbed against Jack’s face.

"Yeah, asshole. Why the hell did you have to leave? Jack was scared as dicks!" Turning his attention to Geoff told him just how upset he’d been too.

"I’m sorry. I had to." Feeling stupid he hugged Jack tightly before letting go of both of them.

"Why?"

"I needed to be with my family…I can’t live with Poppy- he’s not even my Poppy he’s a liar!" Where was Edgar? He wanted his cow and he wanted not to have to talk about this.

"What’d he lie about?"

"Want me to kick his ass for you?" Geoff curled his tiny hands into fists and the corner’s of Ryan’s mouth curled up.

"He’s not my family. Joel says everybody only gets one family and I already had one- he lied to me about being my new family because you can’t have any new family!" It rushed out of his mouth like water from a fountain and he found himself relieved to share it. Jack’s face fell and he bit his lower lip.

"But..I had a family before Daddy adopted me too. Everybody only has one family- and mine is with Daddy and Mommy and Gus…Geoffy’s is with Gavin and Burnie…And yours is with your Poppy and Joel!"

—————

Ray didn’t know he’d fallen asleep until he’d woken up with his face on the kitchen table. That wouldn’t be good for his neck. Sighing, he rolled his head and stretched out before standing up walking towards the living room to go check on Ryan. Overhearing the children’s conversation made him stop just short of the doorway. That certainly explained a few things. Torn between scolding and simply holding his child, Ray walked into the room and the entire conversation cut short. The three seven year olds looked up at him-Geoff and Jack found Ryan’s hands in their own again and moved towards him to protect him. Holding his hands up and open, he shook his head.

"Calm down guys. I just want to talk to him. Geoff, Jack, you want to go wake up Michael and Gavin? We can all go out to breakfast if you do." Kneeling on the floor, he held his eyes level to Ryan’s as the other two ran off. "Okay buddy, we gotta talk."

"I’m not your buddy." Ryan’s hands searched the couch around him for Edgar, needing the solace of a life-long friend.

"You only get one family. But your family can grow. My family grew to include you, Joel, Gavin, Geoff, Burnie, Michael, Lindsay, Jack, and Gus… And it could still grow. You can lose family- but you are never without some family. Do you understand?"

"You lied." Ray ran his hand behind his neck and sighed. That was a no.

"I didn’t lie. I’m your family. Your family grew to have me in it as your Poppy. It grew again to have Joel as your brother."

"So…You guys…Are my one family? The only one I get?"

"Yeah, as long as you want us as your family."

"What about…"

"They were your family too. They’re still your family, but now we’re the ones who get to take care of you because we love you just like they loved you."

"…I’m sorry Poppy."

"Just never run away again ok? You’ll make us all sad again. We’re your family and you belong with us." Ray smiled and picked him up, hugging him close to his chest tightly. "We’re just not a complete family without you!" Ryan just kind of stared in shock before he became overwhelmed and started crying.

He had family that was his. It wasn’t going away and he belong with them- they didn’t lie to him, wouldn’t leave him behind, and would never forget about him. Crying led to sneezing again and his Poppy fussed over him.

Ryan had a family. It wasn’t big, and it wasn’t the one he was born into, but it was his. He wouldn’t trade it for anything. (Not even a billion Edgars!)


	16. Monty's Tales

Caleb was raising three boys. Kerry, Miles, and Monty Denecour were the most rambunctious, silly, and greatest kids he could ever wish for. They would clean up after themselves when pushed, and loved to explore. Mostly. Sometimes Monty would get real quiet and stare off into the distance, lost in though. Caleb couldn’t fault him for it- Monty was old enough that he still remembered their Mom and Dad.

Old enough to remember that Caleb was just their older brother once- not their new guardian. Miles was too young to make sense of anything, and Kerry has never known any other parent besides Caleb. But Monty remembers.

He remembers quiet nights at bed time when his mother would tell him fairy tales. When his father would check in his closet and under his bed for the monsters in the stories. There was never anything there. Caleb would come in after his parents left and tuck him in with a soft, plush doll. He’d wish Monty the sweetest of dreams and then go to bed himself.

Monty remembers loud days when he’d misbehave. He remembers almost tipping over the cradle with Kerry in it. He remembers giving Miles a bath that had ice cubes in it. He remembers nearly burning down the house trying to cook eggs. None of this was done out of spite, but it always felt like that when he got in trouble.

Maybe that was what made his parents leave. It probably was. They just couldn’t deal with Monty anymore because he was a bad kid.

Caleb was always the one to pull Monty out of his head. It didn’t matter why his parents had left- he still had his brothers. They loved him. Or so Monty liked to think. They loved him even if he couldn’t play sports like Ultimate Frisbee right with Caleb. Even if he couldn’t make the best Bane impression and thoroughly enjoy Batman episodes like Miles. Or even if he couldn’t sit down and write and entire story from start to finish off the top of his head without help. He had ideas, but none of them felt right to use so he always ended up lost. They never laughed at him for it.

It was a home. Even without his Mom and Dad, it was a loving home and he didn’t want to be anywhere else. He was safe here, within the confines of his family. He didn’t have to try and explain anything here. Words were never his strong point.

Caleb was raising three little boys who weren’t really his own, but to Monty being raised by his brother was like living in his own personal fairytale.


	17. Joel's Little Brother

Joel didn’t have parents. No, he wasn’t raised on a mother’s love with father’s care. His supposed parents left him at an orphanage when he was two. He doesn’t remember what they looked like, but he wouldn’t kid himself into thinking that they were ever going to come and look for him. Not like the younger kids did. He had figured out by age five that they weren’t going to come back.

They didn’t love him.

So he tried to make the orphanage into a home for him. At least there he knew who was taking care of him. His favourite was a man named Matt. Matt was kind and would bring him newspapers everyday. He taught Joel about percentages and stocks, about how important schooling and getting a job were, about how scary the world was. Matt never sugarcoated things. When Joel had slipped up and called him ‘Dad’, Matt had shook his head and told him no.

He didn’t have family.

Arson was a fun word. The police had explained to him that arson meant someone had burned down the orphanage on purpose. Someone had taken the only place he had away from him. All the police officers talked down at him like he was an idiot kid until Child Protective Services arrived. They kneeled down to his level and told him that he’d have a new family and a new home soon. His case worker’s name was Ben and he had a funny accent but Joel liked him. The man didn’t talk down at him and often asked his opinion. It was nice and Joel tried to give the best advice he could until the day they started the adoption paperwork. He’d cried then, but Ben had explained that he couldn’t live with him forever.

He didn’t have a home.

Mr. Ray Narvaez was a kind man. He listened to Joel and would even heed to his advice, as if it was the most important in the world. When he introduced him to Ryan, Mr. Narvaez seemed happy that Joel would answer his questions. It almost gave him hope. They took him ‘home’ and suddenly Ryan wasn’t just Mr. Narvaez’s kid, he was Joel’s precious little brother. Or, Joel liked to think of him that way. He tried not to admit it to anyone, because he didn’t want Ryan to tell him off too.

He didn’t have a hope.

After a while, Joel got used to the odd group of people. The ‘Uncles Michael and Gavin’ who weren’t really their uncles but called themselves that anyway, the ‘Aunt Lindsay’ who was kind, funny, and loved to call all the kids dragons, and the ‘cousins’. The ‘cousins’ were his favourite because some of them understood him. Jack understood best and Joel loved to sit and talk with him until the ginger was red from laughing.

He didn’t have a cousin- he had a best friend.

It took a few months before he slipped up. He was laughing with Ryan over an Edgar joke at Michael’s expense, smiling when the words spilt out of his mouth. “That’s my little brother!” Joel knew his voice sounded so proud but the moment it after he said it his hands clasped over his mouth and his eyes went wide. Shit. He panicked and before Ryan could tell him very clearly that he wasn’t his brother, Joel ran. He ran back inside and into his own room. With his door closed and locked, he only managed to make it next to his bed before knees hit the floor and the sting of tears ravaged his eyes.

Crying made his eyes burn and his nose hurt but he couldn’t help it. Joel really loved Mr. Narvaez and Ryan. It was like he really had a family when he was with them. But now he’d gone and ruined that because while they could be family in his imagination- he knew that neither of them were family. They’d tell him so. Just like Matt and Ben did. As long as he stayed in his room he could at least avoid them though.

When his tears were nothing but silent hiccups, he rubbed at his eyes and stood up. He’d just sleep early. Mr. Narvaez never got mad if they slept early and no one would talk to him. His first step landed him back on the floor due to a chicken. He had tripped over Edgar III. Feeling like he was going to start crying again, he picked up the chicken and brought it to bed with him.

He didn’t have Ryan, but he had Edgar.

\----

The next morning he had woken up still cuddling the stuffed chicken. If he had to move again Joel decided Edgar III would have to come with him. After all, Edgar III couldn’t tell him that they weren’t family. Leaving his bed and opening his door seemed as hard and scary as playing a new horror game. But just like the horror game, if you didn’t press forward you never knew what actually lied ahead. Joel was pretty surprised when he opened his door and Ryan was asleep against the frame. Had the little one waited here all night? Gently, he shook the younger boy’s shoulder.

"Ryan. Ryan wake up. Ryan." Joel called, appalled at how rough his voice sounded. Ryan, rubbing his eyes, seemed to answer his calls and reached out taking Joel’s hand.

"You’re not mad at me anymore, are you?" Ryan’s eyes could dig into someone’s very soul.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"You ran away…I thought you were really mad at me and picked another kid to be your little brother…You didn’t pick another kid right?" The 7 year old’s lower lip trembled, as if the thought was frightening. Joel felt everything break at once and hugged him.

"No! I couldn’t pick another kid- none would be as awesome as a little brother as you."

"Even with Edgar?"

"Even with all the Edgars in the world." Joel yawned, causing Ryan to yawn and he pulled the boy to stand up. "C’mon if you’re tired we can go back to bed."

"Can I sleep with you, Joel?….I don’t want to leave my big brother alone right now."


	18. Phobias

Ryan was always afraid that those around him were lying to him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them- he knew each member of his family would fight for him tooth or nail. (Or at least he liked to think that, but sometimes it just seemed he couldn’t shake the out casted feeling away.) If someone lied, it meant they didn’t care about you enough to tell you the truth. That’s what his Mom had taught him before she hadn’t come back. Ryan was always terrified that Poppy or Joel was lying to him and wouldn’t come back. Just like his parents lied to him and never came back. He didn’t want to be left behind again.

Jack was terrified of upsetting his father. He was scared that one day he’d make his new Dad so mad that he’d give him back to the group home. That one day his Dad and Mom would just give him up without even an argument- just like his old ones had. He didn’t want to leave. Not again. Jack loved it here. He loved his brother, Gus. He loved his parents. He loved his best friend, Joel. He loved his friends who were practically family- Geoff and Ryan. He didn’t want to leave them behind. Jack was scared of having only his own little corner with no one else again.

Geoff didn’t have many things to be afraid of. His Dad was the only parent he’d ever known. He wasn’t that great at school, but he still had friends with him. His brother was great, even if he was a dirty blue. His best friend was amazing and never got upset if he cursed. Scary games, scary movies, scary stories, they could all just be forgotten because his family was alive and moving. So Geoff didn’t have anything to be afraid of until he heard Jack’s story. And Ryan’s story. And Gus’ story. And Joel’s story. And Burnie’s story.

The only thing Geoff was truly afraid of was losing any of his family. They may not be blood, but they were all his. And no one fucks with Geoffery Lazer Free.


	19. Burnie's Alone Time

Burnie didn’t like to be alone. Everytime he’d been left alone in his life, something terrible happened.

The first time Burnie was left alone, his Mom said she was going to visit Daddy. He said he didn’t want to go with- the cementary was a scary place and gave him nightmares. There was always the feeling like something was watching you over your shoulder. Mom had just hunched her shoulders together, knelt down, and hugged him. She’d called him a big boy and told him to watch the house- she’d be back with in an hour and they’d have dinner together.

She didn’t come back in an hour. Or in two. Or three. Mom never came back.

The next time he was left alone, he was only a few months older. The nice man who had took him in had told him he was going to go get something called his ‘file’. Burnie clenched the man’s pants leg tightly in his little hands, but he wasn’t strong enough to keep the man there.

The man didn’t come back, but a woman came out and took him away.

The third time Burnie had been left alone, it was the worst time. His baby sitter was just taking a shower. That’s what she said anyways. He’d just nodded and continued watching TV- after all she wasn’t actually leaving. She would just be upstairs. He couldn’t fully remember that night. There was the TV, then static and a high-pitched scream. There was his feet tripping on the stairs, him wrenching open the bathroom door, and then red. Lots of red. It looked like someone had been painting. Messily.

The police came that night, but his babysitter never came back.

At the age of 9, Burnie knew that sometimes people had to leave you alone. Sometimes others couldn’t be constantly around a single person. Sometimes Gavin needed to take a breather from being a Dad. Sometimes Geoff just needed to hang out with anyone but Burnie. These times were horrifying half the time. The other half the time everything would be fine.

He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him- people were supposed to be able to separate from one another. To grow apart. He just couldn’t do that. Geoff didn’t understand, but Gavin did.

So on the scary nights when he felt that everyone was leaving and they wouldn’t come back-he’d curl up in his Dad’s bed with him. Dad couldn’t leave if Burnie was sleeping on him after all.

At age 9, Burnie Free would hate how he couldn’t just let people go because it wasn’t normal. No one would tell him that it was nothing to be worried about- how did you explain abandonment anxiety to someone so young?


	20. Geoff's Tramp Stamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the misleading name, this is not a tattoo chapter.

Geoff was found by Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey at age 12. They’d apparently been searching for him for quite some years. They said they loved him and were so happy to finally meet him, but he’d just backed away. Dad told him not to talk to strangers. When he’d told them to back the fuck off, they hadn’t taken it well. Some nonsense about how preteens shouldn’t be speaking that way. He’d retorted that a preteen could speak freely when engaged in a very unpleasant conversation with two stalkers.

He’d found himself in court within the week. The Ramsey family was battling Gavin for custody. They were going to take Geoff away from him- without even visiting rights. Not even his brother would be allowed to see him. They planned to take him to a different state with them- never to go to his school again. Never to see Jack or Ryan again, never to hear from Gus or Joel again because they would not give him a computer. Or a phone. The Ramseys didn’t want him to have any contact with the ‘bad influences’.

In court, Geoff had learned the story of how he became a Free. Got to hear the Ramseys’ lawyer debate with his Dad on how he had never really wanted Geoff anyways. With a side of bullshit about how Gavin would never know how the Ramseys felt to lose their son because he didn’t really have a son. He’d had to watch through a veil of red as his Dad fought against the false accusations. It was worse when they tried to get him stated as an unfit parent. His Dad may be an idiot- but he was the best damned father Geoff had ever had.

When Burnie had stood between the Ramseys and his brother screaming why they were trying to tear his family apart, they’d said that they were trying to bring it back together. Some grand story about how they’d always wanted a kid but Mrs. Ramsey was sterile. They’d hired a surrogate- one who was a close friend before the pregnancy. For eight months everything had seemed fine and they’d finally have their child to give the best life possible when the surrogate had disappeared. They’d never seen her or the child again. Until they found Geoff. Couldn’t Burnie see that they just wanted what was best for their child? Wanted the child safe with them!

Geoff had snapped before Burnie. He’d socked Mr. Ramsey in the face and called him a fucking liar. Someone who wanted what was best for ‘their child’ wouldn’t tear him away from the only family he’d ever known. Wouldn’t try to tear apart his life and what kept him stable. He’d kept yelling at them (and would have kept hitting them if Burnie hadn’t had his arms) until there were was a cry of Geoffery Lazer Free from down the hall. Clearly, Dad was mad. But he didn’t care, not this time. Either way he let the conversation fall so he could run with Burnie to Gavin. If asked, they’d never hugged.

The worst thing was that they Ramseys won. The fucking legal system had screwed him over. Since they had all the paperwork of release of biological rights from the mother to them, they’d had all the rights. Even though Gavin had adopted him legally. He wasn’t even allowed one night to say goodbye to anyone. He’d only had minutes with Burnie and his Dad. The good thing was that Burnie was a genius. The moment they were alone he’d rolled up Geoff’s jacket sleeve and written the house phone number on his arm using a sharpie. Gavin didn’t bother to reprimand him- there was no legal agreement that contact wasn’t allowed. He just didn’t have custody rights.

Then, within a few minutes, they’d interrupted a teary goodbye and all but literally dragged Geoff out of town. The only possession of his own that he had was Grif who was in his jacket pocket. Everything else was left behind. In the car, the first thing he did was learn how easy the locks were to manipulate. Geoff had waited until they’d started along an empty road before unlocking his car door and throwing it open, jumping out of the moving vehicle. Rolling to try to avoid any hospital worthy wounds gave him scraped knees and a bumped head but it’d be at least a mile until they noticed and were legally able to make a turn of any kind. It was worth it.

He shakily stood up and began to walk towards a building he’d knew would be safe to hide in. Gus had warned him about certain areas and told him hints like this, just in case, and he’d never been more glad that the Jones kid was his best friend. Walking was difficult and he could feel a sharp pain in his back. He should have waited until they’d passed the grassy area. Sliding around a corner, he ducked behind a dumpster and fell on his ass. There was slight pain everywhere, but nothing hurt more than his back. Leaning forward, he reached his hand around to his lower back to feel the liquid that was clearly not sweat. Cursing, he’d slammed his head against the dumpster.

Definitely should have waited for the grassy area.

Frustrated, he’d stood up only to watch that same car go speeding past. Shit. He’d had to have been seen but he wasn’t going with them. No way in hell. So Geoff had run again, chasing down shadows of the alley to hide away from the street. He could do it. He could.

Except he couldn’t. The wound on his back was a lot deeper than he’d initially thought because he woke up in the hospital with the Ramseys hovering over him. His first reaction had been to thrash at them, but the doctors put his arms in restraints and sedated him. The second time he’d screamed and his heart monitor connection was ripped away through his struggling. The third time he’d screamed and cried, begging to see his Dad. Everytime he’d ask the nurses or doctors they’d send in Mr. Ramsey and he’d start yelling again because that was not his father. Eventually, they’d sent the hospital shrink to him when he wouldn’t answer why he would rather jump out of a moving vehicle than be with his ‘loving parents’.

It’d taken days of begging and what he’d like to call fake therapy sessions before they’d brought Gavin. It was great for his mental health and the doctors caved in, talking to the Ramseys privately before Geoff had found himself talking with a case worker.

The scar across his lower back Geoff would wear proudly for the rest of his life- it was the reason he was ever able to come back home.


	21. Michael's Approval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of child abuse and dysfunctional families

Michael had gotten his first tattoo at 19. His Ganondorf on his left forearm- its a fond memory tattoo that he’ll never regret. Even though it cost him the job he had at the time. Apparently all tattoos are gang related in a ‘proper’ workplace. At the time, he laughed it off. Yes, his Legend of Zelda tattoo was a symbol that he got initiated into the Resident Evil gang who were doing drive-by corrections. Oh, the horror! There’s nothing wrong with being tattooed. Or so he thought.

Then Jack came home with a tattoo at 12 years old of Tetris blocks.

At first Michael had just passed it off as a drawing. After all, Geoff loved to draw dicks on everyone. A few days later Lindsay made a comment about how cute the Tetris block drawing on Jack was- it even had names! That’s when he had to face reality. His twelve year old, goody-two-shoes, honor roll, who would rather get die than upset his parents, had an underage tattoo. He checked Gus too- but the older boy didn’t have one. Phone calls to Gavin and Ray confirmed that none of the other boys did either- so Jack wasn’t pressured into this. No one but his family could pressure him into anything.

So why did he have a tattoo?

Finally, after about a week, he sat Jack down to get a good look at the thing. It was three blocks stacked up like someone was actually playing Tetris- two L shapes on either side of a square. The L-shape on the left was outlined in red, coloured in a deep blue, and in black the name “Pattillo” was written in cursive. He couldn’t place the name for a minute and nearly asked who the fuck Pattillo was that they were important enough to get their name on his kid, but the question died as it clicked. Pattillo used to be Jack’s last name. This block was for his biological parents. Michael felt a calm rage wash over him as his thumb brushed over the cursive. Those mother fuckers had abused his son. Jack still had a scar down his back from where his biological father had taken a broken bottle to him. The bastard hadn’t even been drunk.

With a deep breath to steady him, he moved on to inspect the square block. It was outlined in black, coloured in a bright orange, and made him pause. His name was there in blocky, fake 3D letters. So was Lindsay’s. Jack felt them permanent enough in his life to tattoo their fucking names in his skin. Michael felt all the rage leave him. It took them years just to get the boy to accept that they weren’t sending him back. That they were his parents. And here was the best proof he could ever ask for that Jack understood. Drawing his fingers away from his own name, he ventured to the last piece.

Outlined in black like the other two, coloured in yellow. It took him a while to find the names on this one because they were tattooed like small book print just above each line. Geoff Free, Ryan Narvaez, and Gus Pattillo. His brothers. As he trailed over that one, Jack begin to talk about how he wasn’t sure if he should have added Joel to that one because he was like a brother except not because they were definitely best friends but Michael cut him off.

"Why did you get a fucking tattoo?"

"Y-you said Gus and I could get tattoos if we wanted them." Jack seemed to recoil and pull away- like it hadn’t occurred to him he was doing wrong. It probably hadn’t.

"Yeah- I meant when you were 18 and this shit was legal. Who did it for you?" Jack didn’t answer so he shook his head. "Look, you’re not in trouble. Obviously I need to be more clear because you will not add to this until it’s legal because this can be fucking dangerous okay? I don’t want to take you to the hospital because you got an illegal infection you understand?"

"Yeah. Okay Dad. I’m sorry." He still wasn’t looking. "A friend of Joel’s did it for practice- they run a tattoo shop but business has been really damn slow lately and I just wanted to…"

"Wanted to what? Why’d you get this, Jack?"

"Wanted to have a reminder." Jack put his shirt back on and leaned back against the couch, drawing his knees up and holding his hand in his lap. "Because people leave." Michael flinched at that and sighed.

"This is because of Geoff, isn’t it?" A nod to confirm and he shook his head. "You know that Lindsay and I aren’t going anywhere right? Or giving you up to some asshole we’ve never met? You’re a fucking dragon and dragon’s caves are permanent."

"…dragons get pulled from their caves or chased out." Jack slid his palms against each other and took a deep breath before continuing. "We could have lost him, Dad. Even after he got back CPS wasn’t happy. They fought Uncle Gavin for months to get Geoff back with the ‘better’ parents. Even though those fuckers had abandoned him. Ryan’s run away twice now and someday he’ll succeed and not come back. Joel’s convinced the end of the world will happen any day and sometimes questions the point of living. Gus wants to leave. Burnie wants to go run Hollywood. My ‘real’ dad is in jail without visitation, my ‘real’ mom is dead. You and Mom keep saying how one day you want to retire to somewhere quiet. Kids aren’t quiet..and everyone leaves eventually. I just don’t want to forget their names like those kids at the group home used to. I don’t want to forget that even if it was for a short time- I had a family. I had a kick ass Mom and Dad, I had two idiot Uncles, three brothers, a cousin, and a best friend.”

Michael covered Jack in a hug as soon as he done, calling him an idiot. This family wasn’t going anywhere. Nor was Jack. The tattoo was never brought up again between them- even when a bad parent-teacher conference led to CPS having a casual ‘check up’ on them. Michael dared everyone to challenge his parental skills based on that tattoo because all it stood for was Jack’s family. He didn’t get a tattoo for a gang, or a video game, or some girl he’d never see again. It was names he’d have with him for the rest of his life.

Nothing wrong with tattoos, right?


End file.
